Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I'm an unorganized, homeschooling mom of two, who just recently started a photography business. My days are filled with school work, extra-curricular activities, meal planning, cleaning, blogging responsibilities, photo-sessions, and image editing. I've been having an extremely hard time juggling everything and most days end with me feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

The 7 Minute Life is a time management and productivity company, whose goal is to provide management strategies to prioritize, organize, and simplify your life in just 7 minutes.

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I received The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner, which is filled with many time management and productivity tools designed to help you organize your life and make more efficient use of your time.

Age Recommendation: Adults

Cost: $24.95

There is a 100% money back guarantee. If you don't see a positive change in your life in 30 days of use, you may send it back for a full refund.

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What's included in The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner?

-The 7 Minute Daily is a 7.3" by 8.5" physical planner, consisting of 271 total pages.

-The first section of the planner is a detailed introduction of how to use the planner, In addition, it walks you through how to prioritize your top values and establish goals. There is a 12-minute video explaining more details of implementing the planner into your life.

-The remaining pages of the planner is to be used for a 90-day time frame. There are 90 "daily progress reports" consisting of a 2-page spread for each day. For each day, there is a space for daily contacts, 5 before 11, connections, unfinished tasks, money spent, dietary documentation, appointments, voice mail messages, and thank you notes.

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How did I use The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner?

-Once I received the planner, it took me a few days to figure out how to use it. I watched the above video and the additional videos, read the introduction, and completed the activities within the introduction. It seemed like a lot of preparation to learn how to use a planner.

-For the first week, I tried to fill in every space, but quickly discovered, that I was spending way too much time recording everything that wasn't necessary for my lifestyle. Afterward, I decided to simplify my daily progress reports. I only filled out the "What I will do...5 before 11" and "7 Minute Connections" sections.

-For my daily life, the "What I will do...5 before 11" section was very beneficial. It is a simple way to make a prioritized list of the five highest-value activities and committing to finishing each one before 11:00am.

One of my 5 before 11 lists...

1. Unload dishwasher.

2. Wash and dry two loads of laundry.

3. Give dog heart worm medicine.

4. Call refrigerator repair guy.

5. Complete 7 Minute Connections

Even though these were small tasks, it did help me stay motivated to complete another five tasks the following day. And, I really did enjoy checking the "yes" box at the bottom of the daily progress report after the question, Did I do what I said I would do today?

-For my photography business, the "7 Minute Connections" section was a simple and helpful way to stay connected with clients. I would list three people that I needed to connect with, such as writing a reminder email to a client, following up with a Facebook message from a prospective client, or sending out a thank you note after a photo-session.

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What did I like about The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner?

-It encouraged me to take 7 minutes of my day to think about and create a written daily plan of action, then I was able to focus and complete those five tasks.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

In 1774, just prior to the American Revolution and writing of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Natural Bridge and 157 acres of surrounding land for 20 shillings from King George III of England.

It is believed that George Washington surveyed the Natural Bridge and carved his initials on the wall of the bridge. The girls always remember to look for George Washington's initials. The little white rectangle is a great reminder.

"According to tradition, the Monacan Indian people called the Natural Bridge “The Bridge of God” after discovering it while evading an advancing enemy centuries ago. Today the Monacan Indian Nation and Virginia’s Natural Bridge Park have joined together to construct a living history exhibit, which is popular with education programs and visitors alike. Guests have the opportunity to step back in time over 300 years to visualize what life was like in a typical Monacan Indian settlement. The exhibit is along the Cedar Creek nature trail, just past the Natural Bridge. Learn about cooking, tool production, pottery, basket weaving, gardening, and more."

The Monacan Village is an exciting area to explore. The daily activities change seasonally, so my girls learn something new with each visit. Over the last few weeks, we've been learning about the different Native American tribes throughout the United States, so it was great for them to see the settlement and daily chores of Native Americans that actually lived in our area.

At the Trading Poft, they recognized many of the trinkets that were traded by the Europeans and Native Americans.

In the Men's Workshop, they learned about how the Native American made axes and bows and arrows.

Not only did the Monacan Indians trade with Europeans, they also traded with the coastal Native Americans. They used the received shells as a communication device.

The girls enjoyed exploring this little area. It had many treasures, including toys that the Monacan children would have played with.

They were able to easily recognize the round house and the long house. The Monacans' used round houses as their living quarters and the long house for special gatherings and ceremonies.

They were thrilled to see and watch the female Native American. They loved her outfit and quickly requested one too. They were a little surprised to find out about the women's daily chores.

After thoroughly exploring the Monacan Village, we continued to explore the Cedar Creek Trail.

About Me

I am a former teacher turned stayed at home mom of two adorable girls, Izzie and Mac. I have been married for 11 years to my wonderful, supportive, and loving husband. I'm always looking for great educational materials and resources, fun activities and crafts, and tasty recipes!